Put some stabil marine ethanol treatment in the fuel to clear up the crap they sell for gas nowadays - it will clean out the whole fuel system.
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Put some stabil marine ethanol treatment in the fuel to clear up the crap they sell for gas nowadays - it will clean out the whole fuel system.
I haven't posted on this site hardly at all, if ever.
I just went through your entire build. Good job. I'm heading out to get some mighty max parts right now but I can't congratulate you enough for overcoming your fear of the mechanics and just getting in there.
And just to mention, a LOT of engines operate on the same basic principles as this one so you can use the knowledge you learned on this to work on a vast array of engines.
BTW, I need to update my profile. I have a 90 Eagle Talon that is tuned up "just a bit". I have a 95 Max.
Thank you for your kind acknowledgement, Obsidian. I'm grateful I had this website to document the whole process, and the expertise to help me through it. In many personal ways, this project was life-transforming. And I succeeded in getting a very satisfying result.
I'm confident there are a lot of old guys like me who gave up on working on their own cars for the same reasons I did - it seemed too far away from what we could do. As you note, 'fear' was the largest obsticle, which applies to almost anything in life. This project reinforced some great personal values in me, and I hope that by sharing the experience, others learn the full spectrum, too. "Half-measures availed us nothing" was really illustrated by this project, while also reinforcing "do it right"...a virtue that had been eroding in me, and I hadn't noticed. Making excuses for not doing things (or doing them haphazardly) causes such erosion, making way for half-measures and (as Merrill might say) "ghetto modifications/repairs". In my professional work I give the full attention to detail and longevity: this project reminded me that I need to do this for myself, too, if I'm to "walk my talk".
Thanks again for the recognition, Obsidian.
Attachment 8442
Ordered a coolant temperature sensor from NAPA - the one I got from Advanced had the wrong threads - and I have that in-hand. I'm in the midst of a small job (home improvement) and need to get that finished (hopefully today) so I can spend some time addressing the details of the truck, the coolant sensor being one of them.
Not sure that I didn't feel a bit of clutch-slippage last night...I'm hoping not, but in any case, when I DO replace the clutch, I'll send the transmission out to have the input bearing replaced. I have no doubts that will eliminate what little drive-train vibration I have, and (as one member suggested) perhaps restore smoother shifting.
1,000 miles since the repair, truck is getting 25 MPH and oil consumption is way down, now. Very little smoke on cold starts. Last gas fill-up was at a place that sells 100% pure gasoline, no ethanol.
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Sable News: I sent the Sable out to have the Vehicle Speed Sensor replaced...something I simply can't do here because the car needs to be up on a lift to access that location. This is a mechanic I know from the area and he is doing this in his home shop. He'll also connect up to the on-board computer and see what's going on with codes, etc.. It's my hope he can give the car a clean bill of health, then I can sell it knowing it will give the next owner some good, trouble-free miles. The money I get from that sale will finance further truck improvements.
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Rumor has it that this winter is sticking around well into May. For all of us Rammers/Maxers in the Atlantic Region, this is agonizing, as we want to be able to fuss with our trucks, and can't...not like we'd like to. The Farmer's Almanac calls for yet another significant snowfall in March.
MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!!!!
We got our last bit of snow that sticks blown away and where ever it goes to stick again is not our fault. These are just some of the perks of west coast weather....oh ya....radioactive ocean water from Japan is our next weather storm rolling in. Thank You Japan...Surfs Up! :)
Ah, yes: Nu, Clear days ahead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEmJ-VWPDM4
Though some might not approve, I used straight 30 weight oil when I changed the oil...about as thick as I'm willing to go. However, there is not ANY smoke on cold start-ups, now...impressive for an engine that may have 218,000 miles on it (not sure that the odometer tells the true story...it could have been rebuilt at some point, and I'd never know). Getting 25 MPG and better. I did replace the coolant temperature sensor but still get some hesitations at thermostat-opening, but once the engine is at operating temperature, it hums like a happy sewing machine. Even during warm-up, there is little vibration. There are times you can't feel it running.
I'm very happy with the repairs. The u-joint replacement really made a huge difference eliminating vibrations in the drive train. Some day in Spring, I'll replace the clutch, and while the transmission is out, I'll have the input bearing replaced. The input bearing still makes noise with the clutch out, but it hasn't gotten any worse since I bought the truck some 5,000 miles ago.
Having the shock absorbers replaced was a really good move, as the ride is spirited and handling is actually kind of cocky-determined (in a good way).
And somewhere in the future, I would like to take the bed off and address the typical rust issues of the frame. There is some body 'cancer' in various places that will sytematically be eliminated over time.
It IS, after all, a project truck. My goal is to keep it as stock as possible, with useful modifications.
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With RamBam having just taken some more parts from this truck, it occurred to me that parts from this truck have gone to members here, coast to coast. If the forum has a form of "communion", this certainly qualifies! :grin:Quote:
(BradMPH on the For Sale forum rerding my '89 parts truck):
"And another one of our respected trucks becomes an organ doner and sent to the crusher after dismantling, never too be seen again."
Attachment 8775
I have died-eth soest thou might liveth
and putteth thine foot on the gas pedal,
goething evermore.
I like the top 2 inches of plastic naugahyde removed from the door panels, revealing the painted metal. But there are clamps on a strip of metal to stretch the plastic and attach to the top of the door. That strip has holes to fit in. I agonized about how to trim that out.
Attachment 8831
I had a couple ideas, and one was to use plastic chrome stripping with self-adhesive backing. I didn't want to go that route, but finally got desparate to do SOMETHING. Turns out, it works okay. We'll see how summer heat affects the trim pieces. For now, the adhesive is holding good.
Attachment 8832
When I first got the truck, I figured it was just an old truck, and I could do anything to it while ignoring symptoms. One such misconception was to remove the check-engine light, because it kept coming on...more of an annoyance than anything.
I learned this is not "just an old truck", but a very special friend, and I need to listen to 'him'...that includes the check-engine light, and all it is trying to say.
So I replaced (re-installed) the CEL recently, and found that it comes on with specific coordinations. In short, it's telling me the throttle positioning sensor needs to be adjusted. What little misfiring/non-firing I experience is exactly times when the throttle is adjusting back to idle and at cruise. The service manual gives instructions on how to adjust that, and it requires an OHM meter. (My thanks to Redneckmoparman for suggesting the DVOM: I got one yesterday). (Further thanks to noahwins for the information about the "service req'd" light in another thread: I put together that this light is essentially to remind us to replace the timing belt).
My thanks to the whole forum for the pool of knowledge here.
Though I've complained about the Haynes book, having experienced seeing those without a book at all makes me appreciate having the specs and steps on hand in printed form. I need not rely on the internet for basics while hoping for no power outages when I'm working on the vehicle.
The first "official" meeting of the mid-Atlantic MR50.net group happened yesterday when I went to RamBam's town. Taking route 11 was a pleasant drive that also helped me get 30 MPG. As my oil consumption is still higher than I'd like it to be, I avoid the high speeds and stress of the interstate, and tooling along at 45-55 sort of is a return to sanity. Those speeds are optimum for any engine, and at least with the Virginia chapter of the mid-Atlantic meets, these two-lane back roads might be a trademark we can live with. Until that distant future when my engine is rebuilt, sure-footed motoring is preserving the longjevity of my little truck. Even then, the interstate has gotten old, for me: I have no need to let life pass me by, or pass life by. "Getting there quick" to hurry up and do things so that we can hurry up and speed some more so we can hurry home makes no sense to me.
When life is over, and we're asked what we did with it, how sad it would be to have to report "I went fast, I saw little, and oddly, there was no time to appreciate much." Gandhi said it best decades ago:
"There is more to life than increasing its speed."
Photo from yesterday
Attachment 8860
Check engine light has a tiny switch under dash, which I'm sure you saw as well. Just flipping to the other side allows it to go another 50K miles.
Nice little read to Roy. Enjoyed it!:)
When I first detailed the truck, I took the instrument cluster out and completely disassembled it for cleaning, so I most assuredly saw that switch, and have since learned its function.
Thanks, Brad. I'm confident the older guys here know exactly what I'm saying.Quote:
Nice little read to Roy. Enjoyed it!:)
I was munching a sandwich in the local truckstop one day, wondering why travel wasn't as satisfying at it was when I was a boy. It dawned on me that the interstate facilitated the homogenization of the whole country: there aren't any unique charactoristics along the interstate, it's all corporate sameness at any stop. I was munching on a Subway sandwich, in a truckstop that was once a home-made food landmark, torn down for the construction of Arby's and other "familiar" businesses.
The backroads still hold the promise of unique businesses, hidden treasures and down-home humanity that doesn't need high-speed anything. If cancer is defined by unlimited, unregulated growth, then the corporate take-over is surely cancer in another form. Accepting corporate logos as "familiar and safe" is the acceptance of cancer, select your shock~face to wear (Wal*Mart, aisle F-86) when you realise it's killing you and everything else.
Even Denny's is coasting on a nostalgic image, when in fact there is nothing on the menu from yesteryear. It's an imitation of what once was.
Kids today have built-in televisions everywhere they go, including the family car. Instead of eagerly watching the view outside, their journey is full of Disney fluff and entitled corporate hamburgers at the next stop. Natural beauty is part of the human experience: when that becomes electronically synthesised, there's no question humanity is losing touch with itself...and willingly allowing it to happen.
I choose to march to the beat of a different drum.
Wow, quite an appreciated post, RNMM. And you were right: what a pain in the puh-tookie.
Will post later about results. Thanks again for your help.
well? howd it go? want me to take better pics of those? id love to copy the thing so everybody could have access to the complete manual but the thing is big and that would take forever lol but yeah it seems its a big process to do a lot of things on this where as my neon is stupid simple and super reliable and gets amazing gas mileage which is why im swapping lol not to mention being a dodge guy i want my little dodge truck to have a dodge heart but thats more than a lot of people can handle by themselves
I got into it enough to have a feel for what to connect. I did get read-outs from the ECU but I still don't understand a lot of it. Also was able to get a read-out from the TPS but it was way off...not sure what to think. Anyway, what you helped me with got me this far, and I'll keep working with it, but it was getting dark and I had things to do. I also want to keep reading up on it so I have a better idea how to procede.
Am I to understand I have to take the ECU out? Or is there a connector coming off of that? It looks like I have to take it out, but then it will be disconnected. So I have to keep studying until it makes sense to me.
Someone recommended taking the ECU out, anyway, to check for leaks on the capacitors.
I need to get the engine up to operating temperature, and will allot some time to do that today, make the adjustments as I understand them, and go from there. Between what you've provided and my manual, I should be able to get good results.
Some few thousand miles after the Big Repair I have two leaks: one is the heater pipe that goes into the water pump, and the other appears to be valve cover-related. Neither is a hemmoraging gush, but they aren't going to improve with age.
I had used Peak radiator flush, and though I drained it, I didn't flush the system as the Peak instructions recommended. I have my suspicions that it may have eaten away at water system seals, so I'll flush the system good and put new coolant in. The water pump connection requires an O ring.
To do this right, I have to remove the timing cover and make sure all the bolts are torqued...this hopefully isn''t a camshaft seal not tight enough, but the only way to be sure is get in there and see. It allows me to check the oil pump bolts' torque.
It's a pain to do things right. But as Ann Landers said years ago:
"It's funny how people can't find the time to do a job right the first time, but manage to find the time to do it over and over again."
I moved my parts truck around to the back of the garage...poor starter motor got a workout, but I managed to get it up a slight hill, then backed down onto ramps. The final dismantling will happen there. I'll catalogue available parts.
All's well on the oil leak: just needed to adjust the torque on the valve cover. Water pump leak is being put off (ruh-roh!). Also haven't been able to do anything with the digital voltmeter.
Time to offer a deep 'thank you' to the forum and all its help, and to bid adieu to friends here. Though my home internet service will be terminated, I'll pop in from time to time by remote means...so it isn't "good bye", just "see ya down those backroads".
Wishing each of you well~
Roy
Good Luck Royster!
Roy, stay in touch. Have really enjoyed your adventures and commentary, you've gotten a lot done!
Happy trails, dude. Hope to see you around these parts again, you injected a lot of enthusiasm into this forum.
Thanks, Noah. It's been quite a journey.
Last week the Little Tin Can turned 220,000 miles, translates into something like 2,500 miles since the major repairs. The smoke problem has long since been memory: who'd have thought simply replacing valve seals would do so much, but there it is. With all I've put into the truck, it runs smooth, quiet and clean. It's been in service for carpentry and home improvement, perfect for what I got it for as regards economy and ease of use. The ladder racks I got have been a real boon: I've hauled my 28' ladder, 14' boards and other lumber with ease...bungie cords make for quick on/off.
It's become my primary transportation, giving me from 25 to 30 miles-per-gallon. It gives the F-150 more time out in the pasture.
I finally got an analog voltmeter...$9.97 at Mal*Wart. It was wonderful to "listen" to my truck's communications on its own terms. It was complaining about the throttle-position sensor, which I've been agonizing with for a month, now. Long story short, I just ordered one from RockAuto...even with the discount, it was $135.00. But that's what the root of my operating problems are, so it must be done. I went the distance in hooking the voltmeter up to the ECU and verified that the TPS is pretty much fried.
Everything else is great about the truck, though I haven't been able to do leisure work on it: spring and summer have had me working a whole spectrum of projects, not the least of which is my garden. And, of course, I keep 4 acres mowed.
Attachment 10657
The plastic-chrome strips on the doors have held up well, even in the summer heat. It was a great solution to an annoying problem. (For those who don't know: I modified the door panels, cutting off the top 2" of naugahyde, which exposes the door's painted metal underneith, nearest the window. Square holes were visible where the top of the panels attached near the window. These self-adhesive chrome strips covered them up perfectly).
Attachment 10658
What a huge difference the new throttle position sensor made! The truck ran well before it, but the CEL was always coming on, and the truck would hesitate at about thermostat-opening, and a few other times.
With the new TPS working with all the other components, it runs really terrific. I'll be fine-tuning it soon, but right now the F-150 is in my garage with a leaf-spring frame bracket rusted and tearing. About 1/2" of metal is keeping the rear end up on the passenger side. RockAuto and Advance sell the replacement part, and I have one at the ready...it's getting the old bracket off that's taking time...and the disintegrated rubber bushing.
Not that anyone here gives a rat's ass, but here are a couple pictures of my garden.
Attachment 10677 Attachment 10678
Anyone interested can see and read more about it at http://halfpast.oceanfalls.org/index...27925#msg27925 ...it features some pretty inovative designs, not the least of which is an underground water feed from kitchen drain water.